Paprika and Roasted Garlic Aïoli

For me, roasted garlic is one of the greatest flavours on earth. I love garlic in any form, but when it has been slowly roasted it evolves into something wondrous - sweet, toasty and beautifully silky. So recently I had a thought that aïoli, another weakness of mine, could perhaps be improved by roasting the garlic before it is added. Well, I have to say that it worked a treat and this is now the only way I have my aïoli!

This is a super quick and easy recipe - the only hardship is waiting for the garlic to roast but the smells you get in exchange more than make up for it! Aïoli is a great sauce for meat, poultry or fish and it also goes really well as a dip with tempura vegetables or raw crudités, such as carrots, radishes and cucumber.

Paprika and Roasted Garlic Aïoli

1 whole garlic bulb

2 free-range egg yolks

1 tbsp sherry vinegar

good pinch of salt

1/2 tsp smoked paprika, plus extra for dusting
200ml light flavoured oil, such as rapeseed or vegetable

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas 4.

Cut 1cm/⅓in off the top of the garlic bulb to expose the cloves and discard. Loosely wrap the garlic in foil and roast in the oven for 45 minutes, or until very soft. Leave to cool, then squeeze the softened cloves from the skins. Crush the cloves on a chopping board with the side of a large knife to form a paste.

Place the crushed garlic into a food processor along with all the other ingredients apart from the oil. Turn the processor on and blend into a smooth paste. With the blade still running, add the oil very slowly, drop by drop, until you have a thick, glossy and emulsified sauce. The aïoli will keep in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. To serve, top with an extra dusting of paprika.

TIP: I like to serve mine as the base to a wrap with baby spinach and strips of chicken, either pan-fried or bought pre-cooked.

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